SCREW YOU SALEM!Gold Supporter

I'm intrigued by the potential of loading 12ga. shells with milsurp 1" steel flechettes. Has anyone fired these babies from their shotty? If so what's your opinion on their performance, penetration of bio-tissue and obstacles like plywood and sheetmetal (like car bodies)?

Well-Known Member

The reason these are still available is the Vietnam era US military tested them out and found they were not nearly as effective as they initially seemed. They would be a poor choice for a bear compared to heavy buckshot or slugs
As a side note they were even loaded into 40 MM grenade shells for a large shotgun blast effect

Well-Known Member

Just by looking at them it seems like they would tumble, and depending on the distance from the target might be sideways on impact greatly reducing penatration. I'l love to test it out and see what angle most of them are at on impact.

Active Member

The reason these are still available is the Vietnam era US military tested them out and found they were not nearly as effective as they initially seemed. They would be a poor choice for a bear compared to heavy buckshot or slugs
As a side note they were even loaded into 40 MM grenade shells for a large shotgun blast effect

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True, I would not even think of a bear, just piss him off more unless a point blank with the muzzle in his mouth!
I carried the '79' for part of a tour and really liked it a lot other than the humping the ammo, and the flechetts were not useful. However if used in an artillery round at level elevation into an outer perimeter? Bad ju-ju for sappers.

Active Member

Flechettes are designed for 'beehive' tank gun rounds or rocket warheads. These have canisters of flechettes with a few pound wad of Composition B (plastic explosives) behind it. The shockwave velocity of Comp B is well over 20,000 fps. It will launch out the cloud of flechettes at very, very high velocities. At comparatively very low shotgun velocities, flechettes are essentially useless.

SCREW YOU SALEM!Gold Supporter

I don't think Sb is a carcinogen - although it's toxic. Are you sure you aren't thinking of As? Most hard-cast lead is alloyed with Sb, isn't it?

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Don't remember the elematal shorthand for it... all I know (although I'm not a plumber by trade) is antimony is no longer allowed in "soft solder" for potable water pipes. Perhaps I heard wrong about it being toxic vs. carcinogenic, either way... you could kill somebody with it if you shoot them with contaminated projectiles.

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